TurkStream Offshore Russia is Completed

Gazprom has said it has completed the construction of the offshore sections of the two TurkStream lines in the Russian Federation territory and has already continued the construction of the first line in the exclusive economic zone of Turkey. Its subsidiary South Stream Transport (SST) which is implementing the project.

"On November 4, 2017, the first line of the TurkStream gas pipeline was brought by the Pioneering Spirit pipe-laying vessel to the exclusive economic zone of Turkey. Construction of the second line will begin in the Turkish zone of the Black Sea soon," said SST.

The capacity of the first and second lines of TurkStream will each have 15.75bn m³/yr capacity. The first is intended to replace the 14bn m³/yr TransBalkan line which runs from Ukraine south through Romania and Bulgaria. Gazprom already supplies gas directly to Turkey through Blue Stream, a 16bn m³/yr line which follows a different route under the Black Sea and which was completed in 2002. The symbolic crossing of the subsea border was marked by the laying of two sections of pipes with the flags of Russia and Turkey. This section of the pipe is among the deepest on the route: 2,171 meters below sea level.

"Crossing the border also marks the end of the construction of offshore sections of the two lines in the territory of the Russian exclusive economic zone," the company said in a press release.

The construction of the first line of the pipeline follows the planned schedule. The total length of the laid pipes is 448 km, while the total length of the sea section, exceeds 900 km. The Pioneering Spirit is laying pipe at an average speed of about 4 km per day. TurkStream will come ashore near the settlement of Kiyikoy located about 100 km west of Istanbul.